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The OAT, explained

The Optometry Admission Test is the one exam every U.S. optometry school asks for. Here's what's on it, how it's scored and how to plan around it.

Last checked Oct 19, 2026.

What's on the test

The OAT is a computer-based, multiple-choice exam run by the American Dental Association and taken at Prometric test centers year-round. It has four scored sections.

With the optional 15-minute tutorial, a 30-minute break after the first two sections and a 15-minute survey at the end, the full appointment runs about 5 hours. An on-screen calculator is available only in Quantitative Reasoning.

Physics is the section that sets the OAT apart from the dental and medical exams. If you haven't finished physics yet, schedule the OAT after you have.

How it's scored

Every section is scored on a scale from 200 to 400 in 10-point steps. There's no passing score; each school decides what it's looking for. Your score report includes two summary numbers that schools look at first:

• Academic Average (AA): the overall summary across the test. This is the number most people mean when they say "my OAT score."
• Total Science (TS): a summary of the science content (biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry and physics).

Schools publish their entering class's average AA and TS, so you can compare yourself directly. See what counts as a good OAT score for how those averages compare across schools.

Cost

The exam fee was $520 for the testing year ending June 30, 2026, which includes score reports to the schools you pick when you register. Each extra score report you request later costs $55. The ADA updates the fee every July, so check the current amount before you register. A limited number of 50% fee waivers are offered each year for applicants with financial hardship, and they run out.

Scores and score reports

• You see an unofficial score report at the test center as soon as you finish.
• Official scores reach your selected schools in about three to four weeks.
• If you've taken the OAT more than once, schools see your full testing history, not just your best attempt.

Retake rules

• You must wait 60 days between attempts.
• You can take it at most four times in any 12-month period.
• After three attempts, you need permission to test again, including proof that you've recently applied to optometry school.
• After your fifth attempt, you can test only once a year.

Because every attempt is reported and you have to wait two months to retest, plan to take the OAT when you're ready rather than as a practice run.

When to take it

OptomCAS opens in late June, and most schools admit on a rolling basis, so the strongest plan is to have scores in hand by early summer of the year you apply. That usually means testing in the spring. Counting back, a typical timeline looks like this:

• 3–4 months before test day: start studying, after you've finished biology, general and organic chemistry, and physics.
• Spring: take the OAT. Testing by May leaves room for one retake before the cycle gets busy.
• June: scores are on file when OptomCAS opens.

See the full OptomCAS application timeline for how the OAT fits with letters, transcripts and deadlines.

Sources

• ADA, OAT 2026 Candidate Guide
• ADA, Optometry Admission Test

Requirements and dates change each cycle. Always confirm with each school before you apply.

Keep reading

• What's a good OAT score?Entering-class OAT averages for every school, and what score to aim for.
• The new federal loan capWhat the $200,000 limit on federal loans means for every school's cost.
• OptomCAS application timelineMonth by month, from the OAT to your first interview, with every school's deadline.
• Shadowing and optometry experienceHow many hours schools expect, how to find an optometrist to shadow, and what counts.